Review
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Review: 'Incendies' A Strong Film Ultimately Held Back By A Nauseating Final Plot Twist
Oh egregious plot twists, when will you stop ruining our movies? You've already turned us against M. Night Shyamalan (though we can't blame you for his last three disasters) and consistently do everything you can to obliterate affection for anything that precedes you. Well, we're not going to let yo...
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Review: 'Cinema Verite' Reveals The Not So Surprising Truth Behind Reality TV
Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini are no strangers to tackling everyday characters and people who are caught within somewhat unreal circumstances. There was Harvey Pekar in "American Splendor" whose own eccentricity made him a star; Kevin Kline's Henry Harrison in "The Extra Man" who as an escort for wealthy widows was an eye-opener for Paul Dano's Louis Ives and even Annie Braddock in "The Nanny Diaries" finds herself in the strange world of the well-heeled in New York City. Thus, with "Cinema Verite," the directors find themselves firmly -- if somewhat a little too comfortably -- in their wheelhouse. The film goes behind-th...
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Review: We Aren't Buying Morgan Spurlock's 'Greatest Movie Ever Sold'
The following is a reprint of our review from SXSW.
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Review: 'Stake Land' Offers Few Variations On A Vampire Apocalypse
Why is it that so many filmmakers have switched to low-fi hi-def cameras? The cynical answer is also the easy one: it’s much cheaper. But, when asked to justify the stylistic choice, most will opt for “verisimilitude,” which frequently makes little sense. “Stake Land” is a superb argument against th...
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Review: 'Rio' Only Occasionally Takes Flight
In "Rio," it's easy to get lost in the colorful characters and propulsive (not to mention rigidly straightforward) plot. The tale of a dislodged bird named Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) sent to South America to mate with another member of his extremely rare species (played by Anne Hathaway), is full of the kind of visual wonder that does a lot to dazzle, especially if you see it in 3D, where the birds (and other jungle wildlife) zoom out at you and into your lap. But if you pause longer than the movie ever does to think about what is actually going on, then you'll almost certainly become unglued and disinterested. For a movie this amazingly active, i...
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Review: The 'Little White Lies' That Bind Are Explored In This Leisurely Gallic Dramedy
The nature of what keeps a long-term friendship together over the years is somewhat ephemeral. There is the trust and confidence that comes with knowing someone intimately, seeing them at their best and worst, and being there for them without judgment. But it's also built on shared values, small moments and significant times shared, building a collective history that binds dates and places with deep emotional resonance. But, everyone also has their secrets, and even the best of friends will often keep their own fears or secret desires to themselves, not only for the sake of a friendship but for their own private reasons as well. Now...
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Review: 'Armadillo' Is A Stark Portrait Of War That Asks Tough Questions
You're not alone if, when discovering the release of a new war documentary, you let out a tired groan or mechanically turn away. These things have been coming out in droves for nearly a decade now, and truth be told, they're often similar in nature or intent and not always helmed by the swiftest of thinkers. That said, is it morally justified to ignore a contemporary subject because of over-saturation? As a society we can easily forget certain issues or events no matter how horrifying or terrible as they drift out of vogue (though we're not wholly responsible -- the media's focus is out of our hands), so how bad is it if we are consistently r...
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Review: 'The Conspirator' An Antiquated Costume Drama With A Political Message
The following is a reprint of our review from TIFF.
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Review: 'The Princess Of Montpensier' Tries To Find Some New Notes In A Familiar Period Piece
There's a certain stigma attached to period pieces; a preconceived notion that the film at hand will be elegant, beautiful, and excessively boring. Of course, a stereotype doesn't just come from anywhere, and those that decide to judge a movie by its poster may not be so far off in their hasty dismi...
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Review: ‘Atlas Shrugged: Part I’ A Stiff, Soulless, Cut-Rate Adaptation Of Ayn Rand's Epic Novel
It’s difficult to discuss Ayn Rand and "Atlas Shrugged" without touching on the countless attempts to produce a filmic adaptation of the work, beginning with producer Albert S. Ruddy’s plan in the early ‘70s, which fell apart when Rand insisted on final script approval. From there the highlights include an adaptation by Rand herself, which was unfinished at the time of her death in 1982; passing interest from Clint Eastwood; a TNT miniseries scrapped after the AOL Time Warner merger of the late ‘90s and, perhaps the most interesting attempt of all, a planned two-part adaptation from director Vadim Perelman ("The House of Sand and Fog") with a...
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